In June 2003 a group of women established the Iraqi Orphan Foundation (I.O.F), a UK registered charity, dedicated to serving the interests of orphans regardless of their religious, ethnic or political affiliation.

The I.O.F is a non-profit organisation and, with its dedicated volunteers, is devoted to alleviating the suffering of the people of a war-torn Iraq, relying solely on charitable contributions from individuals and institutions through orphan sponsorship and donations.

In only four years the I.O.F has managed to provide for over 2000 orphans through individual sponsorship.

In addition, a further 2000 registered orphans are supported on a case-by-case basis through donations and fundraising.

1. Provide and secure the basic needs for orphans, including food, shelter and clothing.
    
2. Establish educational and recreational facilities.
    
3. Finance apprenticeship programs with the aim of promoting the financial independence of the orphans in areas such as IT skills, tailoring and catering/cooking.
    
4. Providing medical facilities for the care of orphans.
    
5. Addressing the social needs of the orphans and aiming to help integrate the orphans within their families, if any.
    
6. Ensuring that donated funds are distributed and used appropriately by putting in place adequate controls and a team of field workers who continuously assess the orphans' needs and whether their situation changes.

The I.O.F has several offices in Iraq covering the main cities. The sponsored orphans come to the offices on a regular basis in order to receive aid in the form of funds and different types of gifts.